President
Joseph Robillard
Mr. Robillard brings to Windward extensive experience in finance, mergers and acquisitions, and asset management for high-net worth individuals, as well as private and public corporations. Before assuming the role of President, Mr. Robillard served over a decade as Managing Director and investment committee member of Windward Capital, responsible for institutional sales and consultant relations with duties including crafting and consulting on investment policy statements, advising on asset allocations, as well as endowment administration. Mr. Robillard’s experience includes working on behalf of The Craft Contemporary Museum, Los Angeles City College, Los Angeles Harbor College, Pierce College, The Herb Alpert Foundation, and The Rotarian Foundation of Livermore etc. Prior to joining Windward Capital Group Inc., he was a relationship manager at Wells Fargo’s Commercial Bank. Mr. Robillard has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California at Santa Barbara.
Ph.D. – Chief Executive Officer – Portfolio Manager
Robert Nichols
Mr. Nichols is the founder of Windward Capital Management Co. For twenty-one years (1971 to 1992) prior to founding Windward, he was President of the Roley, Nichols Capital Group, Inc., in Los Angeles, California. While at the firm, he was President of RNC Capital Management managing more than $1.25 billion in portfolios of taxable, municipal, corporate and multi-employer retirement plans and foundation clients. In addition to his corporate responsibilities, he was a senior member of the Investment Policy Committee and Research Committee. In 1990, he and his partners sold the firm to an Austrian bank. His academic degrees include a Ph.D. in Management from the Claremont Graduate School’s Drucker School of Business. Mr. Nichols’ past management responsibilities include managing accounts for Centinela Hospital, Children’s Hospital and Health South, the State of Washington, Catalina Island Conservancy, GTE Pension Fund, Rapid Transit District of Los Angeles, Territory of Guam airport authority, American Institute of Architects, Southwest Electrical Workers Union, City of Warren Michigan, Little Rock Police and Fire (LOPFI), and People’s Bank & Trust. He has served as a Trustee of the Marine Corps Command and Staff College Foundation, and public appointed member of the Los Angeles Unified School District Pension Fund, as well as a member of the Board of Counselors for the School of Fine Arts at the University of Southern California (USC). Prior to his career in financial services, Mr. Nichols served as a Naval Aviator in Vietnam.
CPA – Chief Investment Officer – Portfolio Manager
Donald Bessler
Mr. Bessler came to Windward Capital Management Co. from First American Capital Management where he was a Senior Portfolio Manager/Senior Vice President. Prior to First American Capital Management, he was a Principal and the Director of Research at Roxbury Capital Management LLC, a $14 billion asset management firm in Los Angeles. As Director of Research and voting member of the Investment Committee, he supervised a team of six Equity Research Analysts in addition to personally managing more than $1 billion in client assets. He was also responsible for managing the Roxbury Special Situations Portfolio and the Special Situations Hedge Fund. Mr. Bessler began his career as a Certified Public Accountant and attained the level of Audit Manager with the accounting firm Price Waterhouse. During the six years he worked in New York, he was responsible for the corporate audits of such firms as Chase Manhattan Bank, Eastman Kodak, and Oppenheimer & Co. Mr. Bessler graduated summa cum laude from Lehigh University with a BS in Finance, a BS in Accounting, and a BA in Psychology. Mr. Bessler has managed accounts for Catholic Healthcare West in San Francisco, Eli Lilly Co., Guidant Corp., Texas A&M University, and the University of South Florida.
AIF® – Managing Director, Advisory Services
Kenneth Kilpo
Mr. Kilpo has over thirty years of experience in the financial services industry consulting with high net worth individuals and small- to mid-size corporations. He is a member of the Board of Directors at Windward Capital Management Co. Prior to joining Windward Capital Group Inc., he was a Financial Consultant at Merrill Lynch. Mr. Kilpo has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from the University of California at San Diego.